As the summer holidays draw to a close it seemed only right to squeeze in one more farm park. Today’s venue of choice was Mini Meadows Farm. Which was just as well because it was cheap as chips and I’m skint as shit.
Mini Meadows Farm Park
I think its safe to say that Mini Meadows farm park is probably the cheapest farm park we’ve ever been too. Its really great value for money at £5 per person and £2 for a bucket of feed. If this park was any closer it would be a regular haunt for me and my boys.
Its not the biggest farm park we’ve been too but its absolutely lovely. Not like the big boys yet either which is all part of its charm. Its clean, still very farm orientated and not too busy either.
Although i did love it i wouldn’t personally go back alone again. The boys could have stayed there all day especially in their indoor play barn. However i was without any reading material due to the lack of signal in there. The constant screaming of kids had grated on my last nerve after an hour. So if you’re going make sure you take a book or adult company.
There is still plenty enough to keep your little ones happy for a good few hours anyway. So if you’re close enough get your arses over there. I have a feeling that mini meadow will just keep on growing too.
Getting To Mini Meadows Farm
Be warned that on your way to mini meadows (if you haven’t been before) the road signs are shite….so shite in fact that there aren’t any. For once my sat nav actually took me to the correct place even if i did have to slam my breaks on nearly missing the turn.
Parking was fine there was loads of spaces with plenty of overflow too. Once we did park up however there was yet again a sever lack of signage to tell us where we actually needed to go haha. For someone as crap as i am with directions they need to sort this out asap.
Once we finally got in though there rest was pretty self explanatory. They even had a map whoop whoop.
What really makes my shit itch though is when they put the till to get in right next to the shitting gift shop. Seriously winds me up when you’re stood in a queue waiting to pay while trying to make #sure your toddler doesn’t steal or break anything.
Whats At Mini Meadows Farm?
If you can manage to drag your kids away from the indoor play then you’ll find yourself in the animal barn. The first thing i noticed was how clean it was. Now I’ve been to my fair share of farm park so this came as a pleasant shock really. Weirdly even smelt nice too.
Much to my eldest’s joy this first section was full of rabbits. another first for us was that some of the enclosures you could actually go in. Only 3 people at a time which was perfect for us. We could go in and pet the rabbits or guinea pigs without passing them around and disturbing them much. It was lovely.
There are lots of other animals in this section too. turkeys, calves which we saw getting bottle fed and even some really cool chipmunks that the kids watched for ages.
Lots of these animals could be fed too but make sure you pay attention to the colour coded key on the side of the buckets. to be honest by the time we arrived i think they’d all been over fed anyway they didn’t seem too fussed with out food.
Play Time
The good thing about mini meadows is that they’re set up for all weathers. We were lucky when we visited and had great weather. Not to worry if its peeing it down as usual though because there’s plenty to keep them busy. The kids spotted the indoor sand pit and they were straight in.
When i say sand pit it doesn’t sound impressive enough. Its a bloody beach fully equip with toys, beach huts and even a bloody boat. We had the whole are to ourselves to start off with. Perfect for Elliot and the way he throws sand around like its fucking confetti.
Right outside of the indoor beach you will find the outdoor play area. Its well kitted out not amazing but still pretty good with something for all ages. The tyre swings a bit crap though so i wouldn’t bother. The kids found the mini ride on’s and played with those for ages.
We found a bench and started to chow down on our picnic. Didn’t last long because we attracted too much attention to the buzzy bastard wasps. Bloody hate wasps. Even if they do kill parasites in the garden. Everything in my gardens dead anyway.
Animal Feeding Time
after the kids were fed and watered it was time to move onto the animals in the outdoor paddocks. We still had a bucket full of feed to dish out and Elliot was carrying it around like a prized Louis Vuitton hand bag.
Little tip. Don’t feed the sheep in the first field. Those greedy fuckers are shifty. Ripped the cup straight out of poor Elliot’s hand and knocked the whole content back quicker than a Jagerbomb. Funny to watch though haha.
You’ll find lots of animals outside like sheep, goats, Emus, Alpaca and the boys favourites the Llamas. I’m not sure what happened but after giving them a bit of feed (stolen again) they decided to get Jiggy. Clark and Elliot found it hilarious. One of them even maintained eye contact with me while doing the deed. I had to break eye contact and run i was starting to feel too uncomfortable.
My favourite were the highland cattle. They were so cute and used their tongues to empty the food gently from the cup we had left. Elliot was a lot happier with these and enjoyed feeding them. So if your kids are a bit nervous I’d recommend starting with these.
What Else Is There To Do At Mini Meadows Farm?
By now you’ll have probably noticed the lake right next to the farm park. I’m not on about the pond with geese in the middle either. Its the huge ass one at the bottom of the fields.
Its only a little walk and it was a bit muddy so i would say its not great for prams. If you do have some time though its worth a little trek. Keep your eyes open for all the little fairy doors too. This came as a bit of a surprise because i didn’t see it advertised anywhere.
Adventure Play Barn
Ever since the boys had clapped eyes on the new play barn (situated just as you pay) they wanted to test it out. I was fairly impressed I’d managed to keep them at bay for this long. I’m a sucker for giving in to the constant whinging then wonder why my kids whinge so much.
Luckily it had emptied out a fair bit since lunch time so i managed to bag myself a table right at the front while the kids played. There’s no way the kids could exit the room without me seeing this way. Not that they would try because the play area is awesome. It reminded me of the one in west Lodge Farm Park but a tad smaller.
Once the boys were off playing and i had settled down to check Facebook it was then i realised the trouble i was in. The boys were off playing and i had shit all signal. This was going to be a long afternoon filled with screaming kids and trying to filter out other children’s cries of pain while wondering if i should get off my arse in case they were mine.
To make matters worse i didn’t have a hot drink either. As a solo parent with 2 kids there was fuck all chance i could make it to the cafe and back without the kids. It would be even harder to try and get the kids to come out of an awesome play area to stand in a queue with their mum while she buys a cup of bloody tea. So little tip when you go. Make sure you get the drinks in first or as i said earlier. Take a Friend.
Mini Meadows Farm Stats:
Distance from Bicester: 1 hr 15mins
Sat nav: Mini Meadows Farm, Naseby Road, Northampton NN6 6HZ Click to load sat nav
Wheelchair friendly: Yes apart from the walk by the lake
Equipment upkeep: 10/10
Cleanliness: 10/10
Facilities: Everything you need
Age range: Better suited for younger children. Maybe not older teens
Safety: 9/10
Fun factor: 10/10
Dog friendly: no
Pushchair Friendly: Yes apart from the lakeland walk
Bikes and Scooters: Nope
Public transport: Looks like a lot of effort
Conclusion
The kids adored mini meadows farm and i can see why. Whats amazing is just how cheap it was too. I really do wish that this little gem was a bit closer because if so I’d happily go there more often.
I love that its not too commercial yet. Meaning that it wasn’t overcrowded either. I would highly recommend that anyway who lives close or anyone willing to travel should go and check this place out.
Personally for me i wouldn’t do this again solo. Haha i got lonely. If i did go with another adult i could have easily spent the day there.
So my tips are: Take a friend, or at the very least a book. Take socks for the indoor play area. Though they do sell them in the shop for a quid anyway. Oh and don’t forget to buy your drinks before you sit down.
AOB
For more farm park reviews then check HERE
for the mini meadows website then check HERE
